The Five ‘F’s and Water
Hand washing is considered to be one of the most important ways of preventing the spread of communicable diseases. Infectious diseases can be spread from person to person in a variety of ways and the following simple mnemonic (or memory aid) is a helpful way of learning one of the important principles of sanitation. I can still remember Dr. Leonard Laskowski, my microbiology professor in medical school, teaching us how the common infectious diseases, particularly those acquired through the respiratory and gastrointestinal routes are transmitted by the ‘five Fs and water’…fingers, food, feces, flies, fomites and water.
Fomites?
OK, we know what fingers, food, feces, flies and water are, but just what is a fomite? We saw in our last article that the one dollar bill can harbor many different bacteria which cause infections in humans. In this case, the dollar bill is an example of a fomite, which is defined as an inanimate object that serves to transmit an infectious agent from person to person. Every object (or fomite) that we touch can potentially harbor infectious agents, including the button on the drinking fountain, the hotel room TV remote control, that borrowed pen or pencil and even the soap dispenser in public restrooms. So, next time you touch a seemingly innocuous object, avoid putting your fingers near your mouth or nose until you’ve had a chance to wash your hands. Following this simple principle of sanitation will go a long way toward keeping you healthy.